Beta Cells

Why did my daughter get Type 1 diabetes? I wish I had it instead of her. BK San Francisco CA Dear BK, I have been asked this question many times over the years. Especially by parents like yourself who are learning to cope with their newly diagnosed child. A type 1 diagnosis means that your daughter’s immune system is attacking her pancreatic insulin beta cells.

Dear Nadia: Can human cell cloning reverse my diabetes? Amanda New Jersey Dear Amanda: The best answer at this point is “maybe.” But first, let’s define what human cell cloning means: That description applies to cloning a patient’s own adult stem cells (or embryonic stem cells from another source) and then making them develop into full-fledged pancreatic beta cells. Stem cells are called “pluripotent,” meaning

This is not a religious essay, so please don’t take the example below wrong. In Genesis, after God creates Adam, he tells him to go about naming the things that God has created-the animals, plants, and landscapes of the newly made world. Adam runs off, pleased to do God’s bidding, naming stuff right and left.Whether you believe in the creation story told by Genesis or

Blame The Media Data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological Study (PURE, for short) suggests that owning a television, a computer or a car are possible causes of an increase of obesity and type 2 diabetes in low-income countries. The study tracked more than 150,000 people in 17 countries representing a range of economic conditions. Owning a TV was linked with a 39 percent greater

Two Asian companies–BioLineRx of Israel and JHL Biotech of Taiwan–have agreed to collaborate on the development and marketing of BL-9020, a monoclonal antibody that could become a significant means of treatment for early-stage type 1 diabetes. BL-9020 targets Natural Killer receptor cells in the immune system which play a key role in attacking pancreatic beta cells, eventually leading to the onset of full-blown type 1

File this news under “potential breakthrough you didn’t see coming.” Researchers have tried–and seem to have succeeded–in slowing the destruction of beta cells by treating recently diagnosed people with type 1 diabetes with alefacept, a drug usually prescribed to treat psoriasis, a disorder that leaves skin red and itchy. So why did the treatment appear to be effective? It has to do with one simple

People with type 2 diabetes and those heading toward that diagnosis may face a quicker decline in their beta cell function than previously understood, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. That means the progress and challenges for such patients may progress more quickly than doctors expects and need more aggressive treatment. The study took place over five

Is it important to determine the exact type of diabetes you have if you’re already on insulin and maintaining very good blood sugar control, and if so, why? Answer: I would say that the main reason would be to know if you have a substantial percentage of your beta cells remaining. If you’re a type 2 or a very mild type 1 and are making

Type 1 diabetes doesn’t happen all at once. Scientists have shown that it’s usually a gradual process, in which the insulin-producing beta cells eventually fade out. So wouldn’t it be marvelous if the function of those beta cells could be preserved, allowing people newly diagnosed with diabetes to produce some of their own insulin for a longer time? That may be possible. And it could

Israeli researchers believe that they have found a way to increase the survival and effectiveness of insulin-producing pancreatic cells transplanted into diabetic mice. The technique, developed by scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, involves surrounding the transplanted beta cells with a three-dimensional latticework of nurturing blood vessels called “engineered tissue.” In subsequent lab experiments,

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AskNadia

Dear Nadia, I have had Type 2 diabetes for five years. My doctor says if I lose 10 kilos in weight, diabetes may disappear. What do you think? Roland Dear Roland, Once you are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it will not disappear if you lose weight. Some marketing people use the term reverse and cure diabetes while advocating juicing, eating a raw food diet

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